The end of this month dawns upon the beginning of my second year attending college. It’s one of those things that I’ve spent counting down to for the last couple months as I await the time that I get to return to the school I attend in Southern California. Now many people ask me why I left my home.

I am from the Pacific Northwest. I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. As of two years ago, all I knew was the Pacific Northwest. I knew rain and Ugg boots, North Face jackets and evergreen trees. I had been on vacation to many different places but I had never known another city other than the one I grew up in and have called home my entire life. I had never been in another place without my family for more than two weeks. That being said, all I could think about growing up was leaving.

Yeah I know- a lot of people asked me why I wanted to leave so badly. Anyone not from the Pacific Northwest seems at least a little- if not a lot- fascinated with the idea of Seattle and Portland. The idea of actually living in a state that has seasons and where you can walk freely without being sucked into a crowd or being stuck in traffic every six seconds. People come to the Pacific Northwest just for the rain and the trees. It almost came as a shock to people that I didn’t want to stay in the PNW- that I wanted to live in a state famous for the lack of water and large crowds. But the thing is- that’s not why I left.

I don’t hate the fact that I’m from a small town in Washington- which where you have to tell everyone not from Washington that you’re from an hour south of Seattle. I don’t hate Washington at all. I left because I wanted something different. I needed a new scenery. To meet people that were from all different places that had no clue where Olympia Washington was. I wanted adventure and someplace that I had never seen before, where I didn’t know anyone.

So I left. I left my home in Olympia, Washington and headed towards sunny Southern California. I left my home of rain and endless evergreen trees for the place that is notorious for its drought and people. I left the Pacific Northwest and I couldn’t be happier. I met new people from all over. I made friends with people that I wouldn’t have ever actually met unless I left the comfort of my home. I’ve seen new things and explored a whole new territory. I never would have been able to do that without leaving where I am from.

It’s hard and sometimes confusing to explain the reason why we leave a place we love when we do. It’s also hard to convince yourself to jump when you truly have no clue what lies beneath you. But one thing I do know, leaving for the adventure and hope of finding something good is worth it.